"Level of disability" is a phrase I often use in telling our story. With MS there is actually a method to quantify disability, the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).
8.25+ is the mean of Patti's current disability levels with some specific abilities and Functional Systems (FS) grades supporting EDSS scores ranging from 7.5 to 9.0+.
The Kurtzke Scale is not perfect. Among its recognized short comings are insensitivity to cognitive dysfunction and orientation on ability to walk. Patti’s unique symptom progression especially in these areas complicates scoring. Nevertheless, it does provide a “number” for levels of MS disability on a scale from 0 to 10.
When I refer to “Patti’s level of disability”, 8.25+ is a more visual benchmark.
No comments:
Post a Comment